Mad Hatters gang of middle-aged women in Detroit crime spree

Police in Detroit are hunting a gang of middle-aged women, nicknamed the “Mad Hatters”, who they blame for a string of robberies, purse snatching and fraud.

The suspects typically steal a woman’s wallet or purse, police said in a statement. Shortly afterward, the credit cards and checks are used at stores to buy merchandise or at banks to get cash.

Surveillance photographs supplied by police show the middle-aged to elderly women wear hats, usually of the floppy, fisherman variety, at the time of the incidents.

Purse-snatching crimes are not uncommon, but what is unusual is the organised nature of the crimes. “Seldom are there these organised rings doing it, such as this one,” Sterling Heights police Lt. Luke Riley said…

The total value of merchandise and cash stolen could be as high as $500,000, police said. The women stole almost $200,000 from one bank.